The third camera in Olympus' XA series. The XA2 followed the original XA, which itself was designed by legendary Olympus camera designer Yoshihisa Maitani.
The XA2 features a Zuiko 35mm f/3.5 lens, three zone scale focusing and an ISO range between 25-800.
Although it lacks the miraculous lens and the refined control of the XA, it still provides a solid, compact pocket camera. As with all compromise between quality and convenience, this is quite a bit simpler and quicker to use than the original XA.
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Olympus XA2
The shell of an Olympus XA2, the way it slides open to reveal the lens, is much like opening the door to your own surprise party. A fun, compact camera that's akin to a point and shoot, the XA2 isn't much different from its popular predecessor, the XA. It maintains many similarities: it has the same compact sliding front cover design to protect the lens and turn off the meter when not in use, the ISO settings range from 25 to 800, it contains an incredible light meter, and works with all the Olympus A11, A16, and the A1L flashes.⠀
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The main differences between the XA and this XA2 is that the XA is a rangefinder camera utilizing aperture priority exposure, whereas the XA2 works with zone focusing and full program exposure. This makes the XA2 more suitable for pointing and shooting - perfect for those quick street snaps, or taking with you on a bike tour, where space and time could be an issue. The XAs are the perfect palm-sized camera, so there's almost no excuse not to have one.⠀
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If you're looking for a more cost-effective alternative to, say, a Ricoh GR1 or even the XA, then it would behoove you to look for an XA2.